As the new year rolls around, many folks will make resolutions to change or improve something in their lives. A couple of goals that make every top 10 list are get out of debt and lose weight. But what about spiritual goals? With the Bible as our guide, here are 12 tips and corresponding Scriptures to help you make 2011 your best year ever:
• Commit yourself fully to Jesus Christ. God wants more than a relationship; He wants total commitment. “Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart” (Ps. 119:2).
• Put your commitment to Christ above all else. Only when Christ has first place in your life can the rest of your life be in the right order. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you,” Jesus said (Matt. 6:33).
• Put others’ needs ahead of your wants. If we look at Jesus’ life, then we realize that your time on earth is not about personal comfort but about being a comfort to others. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve,” Jesus said (Matt. 10:45a).
• Spend time daily in the Word and prayer. The living Word wants you to spend time with Him. Remember that prayer is a two-way conversation; don’t just talk to God — sit quietly and wait for Him to speak to you. “How happy is the man … [whose] delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night” (Ps. 1:1–2).
• Attend church regularly. As a member of the family of God, it’s important to spend time with and worship with your fellow believers. “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other” (Heb. 10:24–25a).
• Become a blessing to your pastor and church staff. According to a survey of 1,050 pastors conducted by The Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development, 71 percent of pastors said they are burned out and struggle with depression and fatigue on a weekly and even daily basis. There is no end of volunteers to criticize pastors; be one of the rare few who encourage them. “Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you and to regard them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12–13a).
• Learn your spiritual gifts and use them in specific places of service. Until you find that perfect fit, just serve wherever and however you can. You’re far more likely to find shoes that fit by trying them on rather than by staring at them through the window. “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10).
4Consciously seek opportunities to tell others about Jesus. The day you accepted Christ’s offer of salvation, you volunteered for service in the army of God. And that means active duty — you’re on assignment: “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Cor. 5:19).
• Confess your need for Christ’s control over your finances. Everything you claim as your own is simply on loan to you from the true Owner. Commit to follow His guidance in managing all that’s been entrusted to you. Only through the leadership of the Holy Spirit can you properly manage money. “Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? … You can’t be slaves to both God and money” (Luke 16:10–13).
• Determine to live within your income. Trust God as your Provider, and refuse to create credit card or any other unnecessary debt. “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Phil. 4:11b).
• Begin to eliminate all credit card debt. Concentrate on paying off credit cards, focusing first on the one with the lowest balance. Pay your credit card bills on or before their due dates. “Do not owe anyone anything” (Rom. 13:8a).
• Faithfully tithe to your church and trust God’s Word for His provision. Like a bucket under a spout, tithing aligns believers to receive God’s blessings. “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
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